Once upon a time, millions of years ago, a tiny little bug was born. People called it the love bug because wherever the love bug landed, people would change and become more loving.

The crabby old lady who would chase kids away from her house invited children in for some cookies and hot chocolate with marshmallows on top.

When the love bug landed on the schoolyard bully, instead of taking candy from little kids, he started giving them candy.

The Dad, who was mean to his kids when he drank too much alcohol, stopped being drunk all the time and became a good Dad. Big brothers and sisters were kind to their little siblings. Wow! Wherever that little bug landed, people were kinder and happier.

It wasn't just people that were influenced by the little bug. The sun seemed warmer in the sky; the days grew longer; the buds sprouted forth on trees and fruits and veggies flourished in the gardens. Spring flowers, pink and yellow and red came up magically.

Then, one day everything changed. Out of the bowels of the earth came an evil monster that hated that people were happy and was jealous of the way the little bug was making the earth so beautiful. So, before the love bug could land on him, the evil monster crushed it into a trillion pieces and the world grew dark again.

Crabby old people went back to chasing children from their yards; bullies went back to being bullies. Moms and Dads did not love and cherish their kids like they once did. Songbirds stopped singing. The earth grew cold.

But then, just when people were feeling sad and discouraged, the coolest thing happened. The kids were the first to realize it. They noticed that even though the bad monster had smashed the love bug into a trillion pieces, he wasn't able to kill it because all those little pieces of love and kindness were spread all over the world and every spring time, they re-appear.

The days grow longer, the sun warmer, the flowers add beauty to the earth. More than that, the kids discovered that if they looked hard enough, they could find the presence of the love bug in themselves. Adults began to notice it too. Whenever big brothers and sisters are kind to their siblings or Moms and Dads love their children or crabby old adults smile at kids, maybe bend down to tie a little one's shoe laces, or when kids say thank you to adults who help them, we all KNOW that the love bug isn't dead at all, because love is stronger than meanness and hatred and darkness. There is the magic. All we have to do to make sure the love bug lives is to love one another. Then, as the story always ends, we will live happily ever after.